Verdict Handed Down for Attack in Banjska in Northern Kosovo: Spasojević and Tolić Get Life Imprisonment, Maksimović 30 Years

(Patria) - Blagoje Spasojević and Vladimir Tolić were today sentenced to life imprisonment before the Basic Court in Pristina for the armed attack in Banjska in northern Kosovo, while Dušan Maksimović was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

At the announcement of the verdict for the attack in Banjska near Zvečan, which was carried out on 24 September 2023, when Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed, only Dušan Maksimović was present, reports RSE.



Kosovo characterised the attack as a terrorist act and accused Serbia of involvement, while Belgrade rejected the claims of the authorities in Pristina.

Judge Ngadhnjim Arrni, reading the court's decision, said that all three were guilty and stated that the goal of the armed group in Banjska was the destabilisation of the basic structures of Kosovo.

- Through a well-organised plan, they attempted to separate the northern part of Kosovo's territory and annex it to Serbia - said Arrni.

The three convicted individuals are part of a group of 45 people, including Milan Radoičić, then vice-president of the Serbian List, the largest Serbian party in Kosovo, who was described in the indictment as the "head of the terrorist group".

The court decided to separate the criminal proceedings against Spasojević, Tolić and Maksimović, who have been in custody since September 2023, and rejected the request of the Special Prosecution of Kosovo for a trial in absentia for another 42 people. They are at large and Kosovo has issued an Interpol warrant for them.

What did the prosecutor say?

After the verdict was pronounced, special prosecutor Naim Abazi emphasised that the decision was flawed because it did not include the rest of the accused, including Milan Radoičić, but added that the Prosecution is making every effort to bring them to justice as well.

Assessing this case as the most complex in Kosovo, Abazi said that the verdict is a message to all those who try to commit such acts that they will face "a deserved punishment".



Asked how the Special Prosecution intends to bring the main accused, Milan Radoičić, to justice, Abazi said that international mechanisms, such as Interpol, will be used.

- Serbia will certainly cooperate because justice, in this case, has nothing to do with politics. There is no compromise with justice - Abazi told the media after the verdict was pronounced.

As for the verdict concerning Maksimović, Abazi said that it will be reviewed and an appeal will be filed.

What does the defence say?

Blagoje Spasojević's lawyer, Ljubomir Pantović, assessed that the sentence was "too harsh" and that it was outside the Criminal Procedure Code and the rules for determining punishment.

- The trial panel did not have the strength to resist the constant pressure of the Kosovo public and expectations regarding the Banjska case - stated Pantović and added that they will file an appeal.

Jovana Filipović, lawyer for Dušan Maksimović, points out that her client was convicted for the use of weapons even though, as she said, the DNA analysis for gunshot residue was negative for him.

- With such a verdict, all legal principles of criminal law have been trampled upon. I am sure that the panel of the Court of Appeal will consider it more carefully and deliver a verdict based on the law and not on expectations - Filipović emphasised.

Miloš Delević, who defended Vladimir Tolić, also assessed that the court "succumbed to public pressure", and that the qualification of the criminal offences was "political".

- There are no elements of the criminal offence of terrorism, and especially no elements for the second count of the indictment - the secession of the northern part of Kosovo. We will appeal this decision - Delević stated.

Reactions of the authorities in Pristina

Kosovo's Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, said that the verdict against the three accused represents a first step towards justice for the murdered police officer Afrim Bunjaku. He added that all those accused of the armed attack in Banjska should face maximum sentences.

"Justice for Banjska does not end here. It will be complete only when all those responsible are brought to justice, led by Milan Radoičić," Sveçla wrote on Facebook.

He also assessed that the attack in Banjska was not an isolated act, but an "organised operation with state support from Serbia, aimed at threatening the constitutional order and annexing part of Kosovo's territory".

"Today it is clear: the criminal and paramilitary structures in the north have been dismantled. The constitutional order is protected. Now it remains for Serbia to be held accountable for its political, financial and logistical role in this aggression," Sveçla added.



The President of the Assembly of Kosovo and Acting President of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, stated that the verdict is "proof that the attack on the Kosovo Police, the constitutional order and the security of our country will not go unpunished".

- However, justice for the terrorist attack in Banjska does not end here. It will be complete only when all those responsible, led by Milan Radoičić, are brought to justice - Haxhiu stated.

Reactions in Belgrade

The Office for Kosovo of the Government of Serbia assessed that the "first-instance verdict of the court in Pristina regarding the tragic events in Banjska is 'draconian'".

In a statement, it stated that it was reached "under the direct political pressure of Albin Kurti and the anti-Serb regime in Pristina, which from the very beginning of the process has been carrying out media, political and every other stigmatisation and criminalisation of the arrested Serbs".

The Office also points out that "the tragic events in Banjska were a consequence of the years-long terror of Albin Kurti's regime against the Serbian people in northern Kosovo". They also ask why no one has been held accountable for the deaths of three Serbs during the attack.

What does the indictment say?

According to the Prosecution's allegations, the accused are suspected of attempting to secede the northern part of Kosovo and annex it to Serbia through the use of violence and heavy weapons.

At that time, police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed, and police officer Alban Rashiti was wounded by gunfire, while police officers Çlirim Sahiti, Mirsad Kryeziu and Sedat Dushi were injured.

Three Serbian attackers were also killed.

The accused are charged with the criminal offence of "Serious acts against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo".

Milan Radoičić was designated as the leader of the group suspected of the attack in Banjska. According to the Prosecution's allegations, from 2017 until 24 September 2023, he obtained income through an organised group, with the aim of arming, providing logistics and financing members of the group for the purpose of committing terrorist acts.

For this reason, he is charged with aiding and financing terrorism.

Also, according to the Prosecution, it is suspected that Radoičić, with the help of one of the accused, Radule Stević, as well as his business entities, converted income obtained through criminal activities into movable and immovable property, and then transferred it to third parties in order to conceal its origin. On this basis, he is charged with money laundering.



Radoičić is in Serbia and an indictment against him, although announced, has not yet been filed.

The convicted Spasojević, Tolić and Maksimović denied the charges against them at the court hearing that began on 17 April 2025.

During the trial, Spasojević stated that he did not attack anyone with explosive devices or heavy weapons, nor did he kill or injure anyone. He also denied that he intended to work on the secession of northern Kosovo and its annexation to Serbia.

Tolić admitted that he was in Banjska on 24 September, but stated that the motive for his presence was not as described in the indictment. He said he did not shoot at anyone and did not have access to explosive devices, adding that he could not have predicted the course of events or their consequences. He also stated that he was seriously wounded, for which he was treated in Pristina.

Maksimović, who was an employee of the "Rajska Banja" hotel, stated that on 24 September he met with friends at a weekend house to barbecue meat. Although video recordings of the attack on the Kosovo Police, as well as its surveillance, were found on his phone, he said he did not remember those recordings.

In its closing argument at the trial, the Prosecution requested a life imprisonment sentence for the three accused.